Open Gaming Monthly #1 PDF. We're taking submissions for the 2nd issue of d20pfsrd.com Presents: Open Gaming Monthly. The submissions should (ideally) carry on the planned theme of "cosmos. " Here are some keywords for inspiration: Note! While I'm posting this here in the Paizo boards, once again, I want to reiterate that we're explicitly looking for content from ANY open game system, be it any of the many fine OSR retroclones, or the Fate system, or Eclipse Phase, or any other open game system so don't stop yourself from submitting something for fear of it not being Pathfinder.
Send submissions or questions to: Rick Hershey/Jason Stoffa at fatgoblingames@gmail.com Can't wait to see the second issue folks! Deadfall Dweller. Steven, you made Round 3! Nice job. Now that I’ve read all 16 entries, I can say that there are some real strong entries here—more strong entries than spots, unfortunately. Some good submissions won’t make the cut. I am only going to recommend 8 of you since only 8 can advance. In close cases, I took into account your prior work. What I am looking for: I’m a big picture guy more than a minute details guy. I don’t think just seeing if you crunched out the rules properly is the right way to judge a good entry for this round.
You got my Initial Impressions above. Design (name, overall design choices, design niche, playability/usability, challenge): B Good name, relatively straight forward design niche to pick the ambush monster. Execution (quality of writing, organization, Golarion-specific, use of proper format, quality of content—description, summary of powers, rules execution, mechanics innovation): B- Execution errors are present. Overall: B Steven, this is a tight contest. Good luck! Yellowtongue Hulk. Scott, welcome to Round 3! Congrats. Now that I’ve read all 16 entries, I can say that there are some real strong entries here—more strong entries than spots, unfortunately.
Some good submissions won’t make the cut. I am only going to recommend 8 of you since only 8 can advance. In close cases, I took into account your prior work. What I am looking for: I’m a big picture guy more than a minute details guy. You got my Initial Impressions above. Design (name, overall design choices, design niche, playability/usability, challenge): A+ Taking something simple like a frog and making it into this nasty creature with its complex background and powers and all the evocative things it implies is truly brilliant.
Execution (quality of writing, organization, Golarion-specific, use of proper format, quality of content—description, summary of powers, rules execution, mechanics innovation): A Not much to note here and as expected Sean and Wolfgang noted them all. Good luck! Thoughtstealer Ooze. Blackwood Drake. Golden pollen motes drift in the sunlight around this dragon, while its scales blend seamlessly with the foliage. Blackwood Drake CR 4XP 1,200 N Small dragon Init +7; Senses blindsense 30ft., darkvision 60ft., low-light vision; Perception +11 ----- Defense -----AC 17, touch 14, flat-footed 14 (+3 Dex, +3 natural, +1 size) hp 37 (5d12+5); fast healing 1 Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +5 Defensive Abilities pollen cloud; Immune poison, paralysis, sleep ----- Offense -----Speed 30 ft., fly 90 ft.
(good), climb 30 ft. Melee bite +8 (1d4+2 plus poison), 2 claws +8 (1d3+2) Special Attacks poison, pollen burst ----- Ecology -----Environment temperate forests (Andoran, Taldor) Organization solitary, pair, or clutch (3-5) Treasure double ----- Special Abilities -----Nurturing Pollen (Su) Plant creatures exposed to the blackwood drake’s poison gain fast healing 1 for 1 minute. Blackwood drakes are reclusive and territorial, but friendlier than most of their larger cousins. Leechroot. First, I think one thing that hurt me considerably was that this was a last-minute idea. I didn't have enough time to let it sit for a while and then come back to look at it with fresh eyes for a final polish. I had been working with other concepts (ironically, one of them was a small dragon creature that had an aura spreading plantlife and turning people into plants - loved your acclaimed Blackwood Drake, Matthew!)
, and the one I was going with was more original than this, I think, but I felt it lacked some punch and was a bit too niche, bordering on sci-fi. So I thought up the leechroot on wednesday, and it was due Friday - basically, I put this together in two nights and two drafts. Talk about hurrying a design. Now before going point by point in the mechanics, I'd love to clear some things up regarding the nature of this monster. Quote: It seems like the undead/plant nature was just a gimmick added to make it stand out. I thought this was unfair. End of rant. :) Egelsee Cocktail. A shimmer of hues on the riverbed suddenly bunches up and slithers onto the bank. This slick, multicolored ooze exudes a sickly sweet aroma and leaves a trail of silvery fluids. Egelsee Cocktail CR 5 XP 1,600 N Small ooze (aquatic) Init +4; Senses blindsight 60 ft.; Perception -5 Aura stench (20 ft., DC 16, 10 rounds) ----- Defense ----- AC 15, touch 15, flat-footed 11 (+4 Dex, +1 size) hp 52 (7d8+21) Fort +5, Ref +6, Will -3 Immune ooze traits ----- Offense ----- Speed 10 ft., climb 10 ft., swim 20 ft.
Melee 2 slams +9 (2d4+3 plus addiction and grab) Ranged glob +10 (2d4 plus addiction) Special Attacks fluid drain (1d2 Constitution), glob, grab (Medium) ----- Statistics ----- Str 17, Dex 18, Con 16, Int —, Wis 1, Cha 1 Base Atk +5; CMB +7 (+11 grapple); CMD 21 (can't be tripped) Skills Climb +11, Swim +11; Racial Modifiers +8 Climb, +8 Swim SQ addiction, amphibious ----- Ecology ----- Environment any rivers Organization solitary Treasure none. Caliban. This malformed humanoid creature has a bestial appearance. Its brutish face bears a short muzzle and two small horns erupt over its sloping brow. A sparse coating of pale fur covers its muscular, scaly body. It clutches a bloodstained axe in one of its clawed, webbed hands. Caliban CR 2 XP 600 CN Medium monstrous humanoid Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision,; Perception +6 ----- Defense -----AC 14, touch 12, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +2 natural) hp 22 (4d10) Fort +1, Ref +6, Will +3 ----- Offense -----Speed 30 ft., swim 20 ft.
When the Mother of Monsters turns her attention to Golarion, her favor manifests itself as twisted, deformed offspring. Lamashtu’s blessings are the calibans, a disparate race of wretched creatures. The birthing of a caliban is frequently fatal, and only worshipers of Lamashtu are likely to raise such a monster rather than abandon it. Despite their demoniac origins, calibans are not inherently evil creatures.
Bloodroot Vine. This thick vine is a mottled blue and green with sharp red thorns. Bloodroot Vine CR 5XP 1,600 CE Large plant Init +0; Senses blindsight 30 ft., dweomersense 60 ft.; Perception +1 ----- Defense -----AC 17, touch 9, flat-footed 17 (+8 natural, -1 size) hp 52 (7d8+21) Fort +8, Ref +2, Will +3 DR 5/cold iron or good; Immune plant traits; Resist acid 5, cold 5, electricity 5, fire 5; SR 10 Weaknesses despoiled origin ----- Offense -----Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft. Melee slam +9 (1d6+7 plus grab and dweomer siphon) Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. ----- Statistics -----Str 20, Dex 10, Con 16, Int —, Wis 13, Cha 9 Base Atk +5; CMB +11 (+15 grapple); CMD 21 (can’t be tripped) SQ dweomersense ----- Ecology -----Environment temperate forests Organization solitary, pair, or patch (3-6) Treasure incidental ----- Special Abilities -----Despoiled Origin (Ex) A bloodroot vine inherits some of the weaknesses of its vrock spore origin.
Miremane. Kalervo, welcome to Round 3! Now that I’ve read all 16 entries, I can say that there are some real strong entries here—more strong entries than spots, unfortunately. Some good submissions won’t make the cut. I am only going to recommend 8 of you since only 8 can advance. In close cases, I took into account your prior work. What I am looking for: I’m a big picture guy more than a minute details guy. You got my Initial Impressions above. Design (name, overall design choices, design niche, playability/usability, challenge): B In the end, my critique comes down to this: I’m just not feeling the insect/hair thing. Execution (quality of writing, organization, Golarion-specific, use of proper format, quality of content—description, summary of powers, rules execution, mechanics innovation): B+ Without repeating Sean, You did a good job with the abilities you did use. Tilt (did it grab me, do I want to use one in an adventure?
Overall: B Kalervo, just not enough my brother. Good luck! Leechlorn. My own take on this monster: Flavor: I like this monster, however, it feels like you had a demon/daemon in mind and really wanted to do a that but since the rules didn't allow it, you went with an aberration. For my own company, I'd have it rewritten as a daemon, but that is neither here nor there. If it were some type of outsider, it would be an easy A, but as an aberration, I give it a B+. Crunch: While this monster is definitely overpowered for a CR 3, there is little here that a solid edit pass can't fix. hp: Average hp for a CR 3: 30.
This monster has 37, high, but balanced by a below average hp. Fine, but it has fast healing 2. Fractured Soul: I'm cool with. Attacks: Attacks are in normal expected range for a CR 3. Then there's the soul spittle part of it. Having said that, if this were submitted to me, I'd probably just cut both the soul spittle and soul eater abilities. One other thing I just noticed, this has 2 bite attacks. Top 16: Create a monster and stat block. Top 8: Design an encounter with map: The Pools of Iridescence. The Pools of Iridescence ========== In the hard land of Numeria stands the walled village of Lackthroat. Travelers flock to the village to partake of its abundant and affordable vices. One such luxurious indulgence is the Qadiran style bathhouse known as the Pools of Iridescence. Tall pillars line the long halls and music echoes from its tall ceilings.
Light spilling in from the high windows illuminates brilliant mosaic scenes of marids and sirens playing along the glistening, tiled walls. Fed by a magnificent, arched aqueduct, the heated and perfumed waters ease the pain of long miles from weary muscles and calm the frayed thoughts of the battle weary. For a fee, one can choose to bathe in whirlpools created by summoned water elementals or bask in saunas heated by steam mephits. The strong, supple, and well-practiced hands of the Pools’ attendants are second only to the ministrations of its most recent addition, the “Aromamancer” Majet. Egelsee Cocktail CR 5 XP 1,600 hp 52 (R3) Top 8: Design an encounter with map: Feer’s Crossing. Feer’s Crossing ========== Before Drezen fell to the powers of the Abyss, the northern bridge was one of the main passages over the West Sellen River and into the lands claimed by the Worldwound.
After the loss of the fortress-city, the Second Crusade turned the bridge into a border keep. The crusaders named this new fortification Feer’s Crossing, after the fallen general Eoghan Feer, and placed a wardstone within its walls. Today, a small garrison is responsible for holding the keep and performing the necessary prayers and rituals to maintain the wardstone working. The old stone crossing has long been dismantled and replaced with two drawbridges that connect both margins of the Sellen. Once an important passageway to the north, the keep now lowers its bridges on rare occasions; far from major settlements, the stronghold seldom receives travelers. Recently, an egelsee cocktail found its way into the water well.
PCs arrive at the site as the Mendevian elite team. A1. Top 8: Design an encounter with map: Mienka’s Cauldron. Mienka’s Cauldron ========== Seventy miles upriver from Daggermark, a small tributary flows into the West Sellen. The channel is narrow, hemmed in with thorny undergrowth and low-hanging trees, and the water is foul and shrouded in mist.
The navigable waters end at a small lake. A waterfall on the eastern bank feeds meltwater down from the hills of Loric Fells. The ruins of Arnem Falls rest on the northwest shore of the lake. Willis Arnem, a wealthy would-be lord from Daggermark, constructed the town in 4703 AR as a base of operations for his planned conquest of the Fells. He made a bargain with Mienka, the nymph who guarded the lake and its surroundings. Arnem maintained the pact for five years. The area around Arnem Falls has become a poisonous bog. Encounter Setup: Towns in northern Daggermark along the West Sellen have reported a strange fog drifting downriver, leaving behind scores of riverfolk in lingering comas after the fog passed. Top 8: Design an encounter with map: Ssel Asha - Ancient Naga Temple.
Ssel Asha – Ancient Naga Temple ========== The mythical ruin of Ssel Asha tempts seasoned explorers across Avistan. According to legend, a single secret temple to the mysterious goddess Sivanah stretched underground across the entire continent. More accurately, several temple networks were connected by deep caverns and eldritch waypoints. The most well-recorded of these hidden temple complexes is Ssel Asha, but word of the site only survives because recent encounters reveal a possible location. Centuries ago, the church of Sivanah included several shrines and modest temples among those races who venerated her. Years of isolation ensued, and none can say what happened to the temple. The minions of Ssel Asha do not idly wait for intrusion by the outside world.
The Roots of Evil CR 9 ========== The soft earth of the forest gives way to wet marsh, with large pools of stagnant water on either side of the narrow patches of solid ground. The Sunken Shrine Area E is a kept shrine. Top 8: Design an encounter with map. RPG Superstar™ Paizo.com - Paizo Publishing. Pathfinder PRD.